AN EXTRAORDINARY meeting of Coonamble Shire Council last week saw councillors accept the resignation of General Manager Hein Basson, effective immediately.

Mayor Tim Horan brought the letter of resignation to the meeting held at 5pm on Friday 1 April.

Councillors Karanouh and Lees were not at the meeting and the majority of the meeting was held in closed session as it was dealing with employment matters.

Mr Basson has taken leave owing after the conditions for ending his five year contract, including an early termination payout, were finalised the same evening, although he will remain in Coonamble while making arrangements to relocate.

Current Executive Leader of Corporate and Sustainability, Mr Bruce Quarmby, was appointed by resolution at the meeting to fill the role of Acting General Manager until a permanent replacement is recruited or an Alternative Acting General Manager is appointed.

The meeting also voted to engage specialist recruitment services of LG Assist to manage the process of finding a new leader for the Council.

The council has seen a number of leadership changes in less than four years.

Mr Basson relocated from Glen Innes Severn Council, which he had managed for fourteen years, to Coonamble in June 2019 to take up the position of General Manager, taking over from Interim GM Glenn Inglis who filled the role following the resignation of previous General Manager Rick Warren in early January 2019.

In his two years and nine months at the helm, Mr Basson has seen faces and priorities change in the Chamber thanks to the July 2019 Council By-election and November 2021 Election.

Despite some tense times in meetings since the newly elected councillors took office, Mr Basson said that he had enjoyed his time with Coonamble Shire Council, and his departure appears to have been amicable.

“I especially enjoyed having been part of the development of significant strategic plans for the community and Council,” he said.

“I am also proud of the value that I have been able to add to the operations of Council through the implementation of some new policies, procedures, systems and structures.

“As all wise people know, there is a time to come and a time to go. It is my time to go,” Mr Basson said.

“I wish all the Coonamble Shire residents individually, and as a community, the very best in your future endeavours.”

Mayor Tim Horan and Deputy Karen Churchill.

Coonamble Mayor, Cr Tim Horan, has said that while he had only worked with Mr Basson for only a short period of time, he was impressed with the outgoing General Manager’s commitment and expertise in Local Government.

“As Mr Basson indicated, we have a sense when there is time for a change, and he has acted on this," Mayor Horan said.

“On behalf of the elected Council and the residents and ratepayers of the Shire, I thank Hein for his service to this community during the past three years.”

The departure of the General Manager comes at a time when the review and updating of key strategic plans is underway and facing tight timeframes for completion to meet state government requirements.

That process will now be managed by Mr Quarmby, who has held senior positions with Council for the past eleven years.

Bruce Quarmby has stepped into the role of Acting General Manager.

Mayor Horan says that the recruitment process could take up to four months and that he is confident that the leadership team were consulted before Mr Quarmby was proposed for the role and will not be left short-handed.

"Mr Quarmby has completed all the budget preparations to be presented at our next meeting," Mr Horan said.

"We can always bring in other support staff if needed."

The whole Council will be involved in the recruitment of the new General Manager, however, Mayor Horan says they will be looking for someone who is up to date with local government planning processes even though they may not necessarily come from a local government background.

"From my point of view we need someone who is community-based and takes a common sense approach," he said. "They will need to work with people to encourage growth, expansion and opportunities across our shire."